NYT, HOEFLER & FRERE-JONES HONOREDNEW YORK, NY
The New York Times Graphics Department is among the select few to be honored
in the 10th Annual National Design Awards by the Smithsonian’s
Cooper-Hewitt. The newspaper takes the award for Communications Design, while
Hoefler & Frere-Jones, renowned for the creation of unique typefaces, and
the design firm Project Projects, were honored as finalists in the category. In
addition to Communications Design, the Awards program recognizes excellence
across a range of disciplines such as Architecture, Fashion, Interior and Landscape
Design. In the Product Design category, Boym Partners was recognized for their
Babel Blocks and many other innovative creations. The
winners are to be honored at a gala dinner this fall at Cipriani in New York. “The
years winners reflect the design climate of the times,” said Cooper-Hewitt
Director Paul Warwick-Thompson. “We are in an era that demands public
commitment and work that strives for change and the responsible use of
resources,” he said. In that spirit, Armory B. Lovins was granted the Design
Mind Award for his work in energy — especially its efficient use and
sustainable supply. Bill Moggridge, a co-founder of global design consultancy IDEO
and designer of the first laptop computer, will be presented the Lifetime Achievement
Award.
Contact: www.nationaldesignawards.org/2009

VIRTUAL BUILDING IS VISUAL METAPHORSEATTLE, WA
remerinc has unveiled a new website for McKinstry, a company which designs, builds,
operates and maintains buildings and which gained national attention when President
Barack Obama cited it as a model for energy efficient construction during a
pre-election campaign broadcast. McKinstry’s website uses illustration and
animation to lure visitors to interactively learn more about the firm. “The
virtual building at the core of the site is a visual metaphor for the wide range of
environments that McKinstry serves,” says Andrea Jones, remerinc Vice
President of Strategy and Client Services. “This discipline perfectly supports
the multiple meanings of McKinstry’s tagline ‘For the Life of Your
Building,’” Creative credits include remerinc’s Creative
Director David Remer and Art Director Brett Siemen; 3-D Renderings from Studio
2a, Animation by Run and Development by BKWLD.
Contact: www.mckinstry.com

MASH-UPS TAKE BALLET TO MASSESSAN FRANCISCO, CA
Evolution Bureau, a San Francisco ad agency, is launching a year-long campaign for
Smuin Ballet, lending a fresh image to the ballet company’s mix of classical
and contemporary dance. EVB developed an out-of-home and print advertising
campaign titled “Ballet But ...” to introduce the idea that Smuin
provides more than a typical ballet experience. Posters, print ads and transit ads
are being rolled out between now and year-end. Paying tribute to the late Michael
Smuin’s philosophy, “Ballet But...” reinforces the accessible
nature and popular appeal. EVB teamed with Scott Harben of SEE pictures to
photograph the dancers and then mashed-up contrasting images that represent
the ballet company’s contemporary approach to dance. As a result, six
photographic mash-up titles — Entertaining, Sexy, Bold, Broadway, Spicy
and Different — were developed. Creative credits include EVB’s
Executive Creative Director Stephen Goldblatt and Art Directors Jeremy Stewart
and Enrique Camacho.
Contact: www.evb.com

FACES OF DISTINCTIONNEW YORK, NY
An exuberant selection of typographic fonts and styles that trace the modern
evolution of the printed letter is portrayed in Taschen’s new History of
Type Face slated for release this summer. The book includes reproduced pages
from exquisitely designed catalogs, as well as borders, ornaments, initial letters
and decorations and examples of their use. Work by type designers William
Casion, Fritz Helmuth Ehmcke, Peter Behrens, Jan Tschichold and Adrian Frutiger,
among others, is also featured. To accommodate the vast amount of materials,
the subject is divided into two volumes; this, the first volume covers pre-20th
Century typeface specimens with texts by editor Cees W. de Jong and collector
Jan Tholenaar.
Contact: www.taschen.com

PORTFOLIO CENTER HELPS IGNITE CHANGEATLANTA, GA
Innovative branding school Portfolio Center, with help from Design Ignites Change,
has developed two Atlanta-specific projects that bring design thinking to local
groups that need it. In Jovenes Con Voz, Portfolio Center students led by instructor
Melissa Kuperminc, mentor area high-school students from a Georgia-based, domestic
violence intervention program for Latino families. The mentoring teams are
exploring complex issues including dating violence and immigration stereotypes
in a series of informational posters to target Latino youth. In another new class,
Branding the Future, students are creating a primary identity system that will
effectively communicate the role of the Future Foundation in the lives of at-risk
youth. Both projects are part of the broader Design Ignites Change program, a
collaboration between New York marketing and design firm Worldstudio and the
Adobe Foundation’s signature program Adobe Youth Voices, aimed at
encouraging high school and college students to use the power of design to
address local social issues.
Contact: www.designigniteschange.org or www.portfoliocenter.com

SUSTAINING SAN FRANCISCOSAN FRANCISCO, CA
Academy of Art University has signed on to participate in Design Ignites Change,
focusing initially on the issue of sustainability, and how it relates to design and the
quality of life in the Bay area. In that spirit, Sustaining San Francisco — a
multidisciplinary design challenge to focus student energy on this dilemma—
is underway. Envisioned as a three-year undertaking at minimum, Academy of Art
University plans to roll out the Design Ignites Change program into all departments
of the school, according to Susan Toland, who produces interdepartmental projects
for Academy of Art University in partnership with outside groups and
organizations. The Academy’s Spring Show included some of the early
work. Phil Hamlett is Graduate Director of the School of Graphic Design, and he
is working alongside other MFA departments to showcase Bay Area innovations
while simultaneously envisioning additional possibilities for a greener future.
Contact: www.academyart.edu

VF GETS TWO-WAY TALK ANNUAL REPORTNEW YORK, NY
For the sixth year, And Partners created the annual report for apparel giant VF
Corporation. New this year: in addition to the print version, the firm created
reporting.vfc.com, a dedicated reporting site that contains an online version of
the annual report, as well as ongoing communications, videos and financial
highlights. It’s “a testament to the company’s transparency
and stakeholder engagement,” says And Partners President and Creative
Director David Schimmel. The site includes share features and takes advantage
of rich media as well as a platform for future growth of the site. As for an overall
theme, Schimmel says that “In light of the challenging business environment
we decided to focus on the company’s strength, vision, diversity and
team: a testament to their ability to perform in any economic environment.
Contact: www.andpartnersny.com

IN SEARCH OF LOVE AND SHOOFLY PIEPHILADELPHIA, PA
Indie creative agency Red Tettemer took a quirky approach to the spring/summer
advertising campaign for the Pennsylvania Tourism Office. In a departure from the
usual “stay-the-night” tourism ads, the Philadephia-based firm
created a unique film — “Peter Arthur Stories” — that
tells the tale of a 20-something guy who follows his heart across Pennsylvania in
search of a long-lost love, a waitress named Meg that served him the best piece
of Shoofly Pie he’d ever had. The 26-minute, four-episode feature
premiered in May, and traditional and social media are planned to emulate the
rollout of a new TV series or movie. The film even boasts an original soundtrack
by the Taylor Brothers, one of whom — Todd Taylor — also
happens to be a Creative Director at Red Tettemer. Creative credits also
include creative direction by Steve Red, Michael Barker and Matt Lanzdorf.
Contact: www.redtettemer.com